For one charming playboy, getting cast on a Bachelor-esque reality TV show is the shock of a lifetime—until he finds love where he least expects it. And now the chase is on!

Gage Barrett’s reputation as a ladies’ man has been greatly exaggerated, but none of that matters after a drunken bet lands him on Jilted, a reality TV show that matches runaway grooms with wannabe brides. Now he’s stuck at a Hawaiian resort with nineteen women competing to drag him back to the altar—and one contestant who’s even more miserable than he is. Gage has no idea how feisty, independent Ellie Wright wound up in the cast, but it’s obvious she hates his guts. And if there’s one thing Gage likes, it’s a challenge. . . .

Ellie can’t believe she let her best friend talk her into exchanging her dignity for a glorified bikini contest. Still, she could use the exposure—her business is struggling—and she’ll probably be one of the first to get eliminated anyway. But Gage isn’t the shallow jerk Ellie anticipated—and he’s in no rush to send her home. As stolen kisses turn into secret trysts, she finds herself losing track of what’s real and what’s for the camera. With the wedding finale looming, this runaway groom is tempting Ellie to start believing in storybook endings.

As the kind who scoffs at reality-tv series like The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, I surprised myself even by jumping into Lauren Layne’s ‘Runaway Groom’, then spent all night reading it, at the expense of sleep. Needless to say, it was engaging enough where I found myself saying ‘just one more chapter’, though that went on and on until I hit the sugary sweet epilogue.

Avid fans of this type of reality shows probably need no introduction to the plot at all—which I don’t need to go into here—but it’s safe to say that Ellie and Gage don’t start off on the right footing and even get into some verbal scuffles before the attraction starts to bubble over. Layne makes sure that it all does not go according to script as well, because, where would be the fun in that, if it ends the way many people think it does? A famous actor, lured into the reality show because of a bet and the typical businesswoman struggling to advertise for her own company, are already an unlikely pair, but Layne writes believable chemistry between them that I could get on with.

With Lauren Layne’s combination of wit and insight, ‘Runaway Groom’ is largely, an easy, breezy read to go through. A rather cheesy ending rears its head here however, despite the unexpected twists and turns, so grit your teeth (or smile stupidly) and enjoy the Hollywood ending.